Will Israel be allowed to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest? 

Following calls to have the country excluded over the war in Gaza, the question will be answered in November.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the event, confirmed on Friday that it would let its 68 members "vote on participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026," by holding a digital general assembly in early November.

"Given that the Union has never faced a divisive situation like this before, the Board agreed that this question merited a
broader democratic basis for a decision," the president of the EBU, Delphine Ernotte-Cunci, said in a letter sent to the broadcasting union's members, which was first reported on by Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung.

The EBU later clarified to press agency Reuters that the vote is on the participation of Israeli public broadcaster, KAN.

On Thursday, Kan, the Israeli broadcaster, wrote o​​n X that it hoped the contest "will continue to uphold its cultural and non-political identity."

"The potential disqualification of Israel's public broadcaster KAN — one of the contest's long-standing, popular and successful participants — would be especially concerning as we approach the 70th edition of the song contest, which was founded as a symbol of unity, solidarity and fellowship," the broadcaster added.

Are most countries for or against Israel's participation?

While KAN claims that an exceptional majority of 75% of the general assembly will be needed for such a decision, EBU spokesperson Dave Goodman stated that an "absolute majority" in the vote would allow an exclusion to
pass. Therefore, if 35 or more members vote in favor of Israel not participating, the country will be excluded from the competition.

So far, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland have officially announced they would boycott the event if Israel participates, while countries such as Germany and Austria have been supportive of Israel staying in. 

Austria, the host country for the 2026 edition, has slammed the boycott calls as "dumb and pointless,"  while Germany's Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer said that "excluding Israel today... turns a celebration of understanding between peoples into a tribunal."

Journalist Daniel Kähler, who has extensively covered the Eurovision Song Contest for Radio Bremen and ARD, is skeptical that a majority of the EBU members will vote against Israel's participation. "Many participating countries have not taken a clear stance for or against Israel's participation. So far, only a handful of officials have made their positions clear," Kähler told DW. "If the majority of EBU members vote in favor of an Israeli singer performing on the Eurovision stage — which I can definitely see happening — it might lead to fewer participating countries in Vienna. For instance, Spain and Ireland have clearly stated that they would not want to take part under such circumstances."

'One of the biggest crises' in Eurovision history

For Dean Vuletic, another expert on the history of the song contest, "This is one of the biggest crises that Eurovision has ever faced because it has the potential to really cement division within the organization," he told press agency AP. 

There have been exclusions in the past, noted Vuletic, including of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s — due to United Nations sanctions as war in the Balkans was raging — and more recently those of Belarus in 2021 over a crackdown against media freedoms, and Russia in 2022 over its full-scale war in Ukraine.

But compared to the decision the event organizers now faces, the Belarus and Russia cases didn't spark "such strong divisions within the EBU," added Vuletic.

In September, a United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, accusations that Israel vehemently rejects.

There were already protests against Israel's participation in the competition due to the Gaza War during the past two events.

Despite the controversy surrounding the performance of Israel's candidate, Yuval Raphael, the artist secured second place overall and first place in the audience vote at the 2025 competition in Basel. JJ from Austria took first place, and as a result, the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Vienna. 

This article was translated from German.